In every business it is important to make sure the organisation and its operations are running smoothly and cost effectively. One area that firms should not ignore is software licensing. Leaving licensing until an audit is demanded (now more likely than ever), can be a recipe for unplanned costs and major disruption to the business.
What needs to be remembered is that it is imperative businesses know exactly what software they have installed on their network and how it is being used – and by doing this it allows managers to identify potential licensing shortfalls or find opportunities where cost savings can be made.
The way that firms usually manage their license management is to identify and reconcile two sets of data, which are:
1) The software audit/inventory data from PCs and servers on their networks.
2) The entitlements held in the license repository.
However, a third set of data can help companies identify new ways to make their systems more efficient and deliver cost savings, which is software metering.
This particular information allows managers to not only see whether an application is installed on a machine, but how it is used and what should be done with it in the future.
There are ways to improve the reliability of this data ranging from new software to configuring inventory solutions.
Recently, the new License Manager 5 solution was released, by License Dashboard, which gives companies the ability to import and report on software usage. This means that managers can quickly ascertain what applications are actively being used on their network and which are not.
For instance, if applications are not being used then organisations can make a decision whether to keep the technology, re-deploy it onto other machines and users, hold it back for the future or to no longer use it.
Software metering can be extremely helpful if there are suggestions there might be a licensing shortfall on particular applications, and can help managers decide whether or not purchasing new applications or ‘cleaning up’ their network is the most cost-effective option.
However, it needs to be noted that getting hold of this data can be a tough task. In fact, configuring software metering to collect usage data on applications without causing A) a large device and network overhead and B) bloating the asset repository is a skilled task.
But help is at hand for businesses looking to configure their inventory solutions from specialists, including those at License Dashboard.
What needs to be remembered is that creating a third data list and monitoring software allows companies to make greater, in-depth and informed decisions about their license management tools and applications.